Anyone who ever dealt with the Bloc Quebecois knows they rarely make much effort to sell their case in English. Check out their website and try to find any evidence that this is a bilingual country.

Pauline Marois, leader of the Parti Quebecois, evidently feels the same way. Despite both separatist parties’ ongoing demands for more “respect” for the French language, they show little to none for English.

Ms. Marois was asked Friday if she will participate in an English-languge debate prior to the election called this week by Premier Jean Charest. As Montreal’s The Gazette reported:

“At this time, no,” Marois said in English at a Friday morning news conference, “because I think I’m not comfortable enough in English.“I said exactly the truth. Maybe in the long term, maybe it will be possible.”

Marois said she’s not at all worried about the signal to francophone Quebec that such a debate would give.

“When I worked with the English community, I think we have very good relations and I think it’s important to continue in this perspective.”

Marois has struggled with English for years and, usually, is able to produce a few English media clips at news conferences.

But she is far from fluent and has been taunted – especially on YouTube – when she mangled it.

It’s understandable why she wouldn’t want to bother with an English debate. Very few Quebecers speak English only. Her own English is bad. She doesn’t want to be mocked, and she doesn’t want to accidentally say something foolish. Yet those same conditions apply to Canada’s other nine provinces when it comes to French, yet every federal election must include a French-only debate, no matter how bad a candidate’s French may be. Knowing that, the party leaders make an effort to learn French, and generally are proud they did.

Any attempt to drop the French-only debate would set off a cacophony of protest, in which the PQ and BQ would be among the most vociferous. But in Quebec itself, a party leader and potential premier can shrug it off. She’s only 63, and been a public figure for 30 years. Why should she have made the effort to learn English by now?

Remember that the next time the federal biligualism officer complains that the country isn’t making enough effort to accommodate the rights of Quebecers to be served in their first language.